Hong Kong protesters, government schedule talks

A sign featuring umbrellas, a symbol of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrators, hangs on a tent pole on Nathan Road in Kowloon.

By

IsabellaSteger

ChesterYung

Te-PingChen

HONG KONG — Pro-democracy protest leaders and government officials said Tuesday night that they will begin formal negotiations on Friday over a standoff that has rocked the city for days, offering hope for a breakthrough even as protesters continued to block streets.

Lau Kong-wah, a representative for the government, said the negotiations would be open to the media and would involve no more than five representatives from each side. He spoke at the end of the third and final preparatory meeting with members of the Hong Kong Federation of Students on Tuesday night.

But even as students agreed to the negotiations, they hardened their stance against the government and vowed to remain in the streets — a move that risks further alienating them from a Hong Kong public already grumbling over inconveniences that the mass rallies have caused.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Lester Shum, deputy secretary of the student protest group, blamed Hong Kong’s government for sparking the crisis, and said the government had not taken direct responsibility for submitting what he called a “terrible proposal” for political reform to Beijing in July.

Mr. Shum said he was disappointed and angry that the government still refuses to tackle the current political crisis directly, and urged “Hong Kong citizens and students to continue the occupation movement.” Mr. Shum warned the government and police to not try to clear the protest areas as it would jeopardize the discussions, and reiterated his anger at the use of force by police against students, including tear gas.

“We hope [the government] is not using tricks to play us again...and that they can find courage and sincerity” to try and break the political impasse, he said.

Protest crowds have thinned in recent days, but demonstrators remained entrenched on Tuesday night in some of the densely populated city’s busiest thoroughfares. Crowds swelled once again on Tuesday night, as the Federation of Students made direct pleas to protesters to stay on the streets.

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